CANCELFEST 09
MANCHESTER SATANS HOLLOW 22/03/09
Whenever I get the chance to visit Satans Hollow I always marvel at the intricacy of its demonic hell like decorations. I think there were a few new ones, unless I just wasn’t being observant enough before. Today the venue was hosting the 12 band extravaganza called Cancelfest. The original line up was modified due to some narrow-minded arseholes who said that a couple of the bands were Nationalist, so the police threatened the venue/organizers. I believe it was considered a terrorist threat which is ridiculous. Be that as it may the modified line up still had 12 bands playing a variety of extreme metal styles.
Bang on time were festival openers The Belonging from Bradford who have just released a storming second album, “Ashes Of The Fallen Throne”. Despite playing to only a handful of punters the guys put on an exquisite display of melodic black metal with crushing harmonies and atmospheric breaks. Pulling four tracks from said new album “Secrets Of Thy Labyrinth” was the first as the crystal clear sound did the songs full justice. “Prophetic Visions” blasted forth in a tornado of riffs, but it is when the band slows down that you get to hear the subtleties of this band. The band was afforded some extra time so promptly took the opportunity to play “Sacrifice The Life”. A cracking opening band to the day.
www.thebelonging.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thebelonging
Bludgeon, the UK version, came on stage minus a drummer and bassist, but with two guitarists and vocalist. My initial response to write no bassist, no drummer, not interested is a little harsh but they were always on an uphill task to win me over. If their intent was to create a racket then they succeeded with flying colours but if the band thinks they have a tune or two then they are mistaken as the short grind work outs were certainly intense but lacked groove and passion of any sort. The vocals were an indecipherable blur and with a severe lack of stage presence I quickly lost interest and went for a pint.
www.bludgeon.cjb.net/
www.myspace.com/bludgeon213
The first overseas band, Devangelist, arrived at the venue and set up a whole new kit with tons of triggers which inevitably cut their set time drastically. Melodic death metal was this bands menu as they used a short stabbing riff style replete with rock solid density and subtle guitar infections. The music was fairly intense in places as the more technical “Flesh Of The Damned” was armored with plenty of time changes. Again stage presence was a factor for the band though they exuded plenty of confidence on their instruments they needed to engage with the audience a bit more.
www.myspace.com/devangelist1
I have to admit I was looking forward to Sacrificial Slaughter after checking their web page out and sampling a couple of tunes. Their sound check seemed to take longer than they actually played but I’m probably exaggerating, but once they hit the stage the band’s deathly thrash and gloriously vicious guitar sound had me smiling immensely. The razor sharp riffs on “Forced Incarceration” were balanced with a double bass assault that had violence stamped all over it. Paying closer attention to the songs and one could pick a multitude of riffs from various genres of metal that was tantamount to stealing but what the hell as “Spontaneous Suicide” was an old thrashers dream and I enjoyed their set tremendously.
www.myspace.com/championsofmetal
In stark and bleak contrast to the previous outfits Welsh misery maestros Ghast focused on old school black metal. The kind which sends shivers down your spine with icy blast riffs and frostbitten fury. The mournful and primitive nature of the songs had Burzum springing into my frontal cortex as the oft used adjective of the 90s, necro, would describe it perfectly. Song titles were in scarce supply as the sorrowful suicidal melodies had a menacing edge. No frills no fucking about was the game here and it was great to hear this stuff played live instead of it being a one man bedroom black metal project with some geezer feeling sorry for himself because he’s got no mates. A faster approach appeared on “Crawl, Blighted And Afraid” but still managed to make the hairs on my neck stand on end, always a good sign. Ghast were certainly one of the surprise acts of the day and their Burzum drenched material was appreciated by all, except my sister.
http://ghast.todestrieb.co.uk
www.myspace.com/souldustgrave
The black metal angel continued with Niroth whose pace was faster than Ghast but slightly less engaging. Also half the punters seemed to disappear during their set making it very difficult for them to capture any kind of atmosphere. At times I caught a glimpse of a Viking metal style due to the rhythm and double bass employed but overall I found the band rather devoid of passion and intensity.
http://niroth.da.ru
www.myspace.com/niroth
The popularity of Infant Bile surprised me somewhat especially as they also had no drummer, but did have a bass player. The use of intros amid the thuggish slamcore and toilet flushing vocals went down very well. I’d have to say that people are far more tolerant of no drummer being present than I. Each track was introduced in suitably guttural fashion (my gurgling song title translator didn’t stretch to this level I’m afraid) complete with a preceding intro to most. All in all it is fair to say that the band focused heavily on cataclysmic breakdowns with a template of intro, a racket, heavy breakdown, racket then end, now repeat for the next song. Also there is something about cupped hand vocals that makes me wanna write down cheat as I’ve encountered many death metal vocalists who can just stand there and roar. The short set came to end quite quickly which I’m afraid I was glad of as I found the band rather tedious unfortunately.
www.myspace.com/infantbile
The Swedish version of Insurrection upped the game considerably when they came onto the circular stage much to the puzzlement and intrigue of the band. Once underway the bands brutal death metal was tinged with the odd deathcore slam and plenty of stage presence. “Dance Of The Spirit” contained a loose black metal riff but quickly returned to the brutal lump hammering approach. The long pauses between tracks did them no favours but once each song was underway the riffs carved you open like on “Spineless Souls” (I think it was called as my translator did its best). A band to look out for in the future as they had plenty of talent on offer.
www.myspace.com/insurrectionswe
Yet again a band with no drummer played under the name of Blasphtized. “Irreligious Refinement” was as brutal as anything on offer during the day but unfortunately my bias kicked into action as my attention waned completely for this band, so I went for another pint.
www.myspace.com/blasphtized
However Fen were a revelation on the day and next to Ghast was my favourite act of the festival. The bands black metal infused melancholia was unrivalled on the day as they combined clever gloomy atmospherics with epic emotion and power. Despite being without their keyboard player (apparently attending a funeral) this band created a tapestry of ominously inventive material. At times they even bordered Cult Of Luna for the way they incorporated subtle psychedelia into the guitar work. The harsh black metal vocal style was matched by somber riffing on “Witness To The Passing Of Aeons” The vocals weaved in and out of wails, screams and murmurs as the quieter moments hinted at Anathema surprisingly. The arrival of some bloke on stage in his underwear was very bizarre as the guys continued unphased by it all. A top quality homegrown black metal act you should check out at the first opportunity.
www.myspace.com/fenband
UK power house called De Profundis was up next and played deathly doom metal with hints of darkness that was grandiose and vitriolic. The use of harmony guitar was emotional and commanding as the switches in pace to acoustic melodies on “Ablaze In Autumn’s Fire” were excellent and when combined with the quality lead work the band took on another dimension. Again lack of stage presence was a factor but I guess they let the music do the talking on “A Caustic Vexation” (if my listening skills were correct), with its deep resonating sound and howling vocals. Musically this band were probably the most ambitious of the day and certainly played a complex and compelling set of tunes.
www.deprofundisdoom.com
www.myspace.com/deprofundisuk
And so to the main act Waco Jesus, and anyone who has delved into this band history will know they have flirted with the outrageous, especially on their album covers (I’ll leave you to investigate yourself if you have no idea what I’m talking about). I was disappointed that they wanted £20 for a shirt and by the lack of people buying the price was too high for most despite their humorous take on the band shirt, except one of them which was gross. The band’s full on death metal was splashed heavily with groove as the guys gave a top performance littered with arrogance and swagger that demonstrated their confidence. “Evil Force” from “Sex, Drugs And Death Metal” caught the attention of everyone as the powerful bass kick and dense guitar riffing were as catchy as hell. Adorned in a Motley Crue shirt the singer stoked and provoked the crowd and never kept still for a moment. “Fist Fucked” continued the catchy barrage as the singer successfully encouraged girls from the audience onto the stage whilst playing a bit of drum ‘n’ bass for effect. Once all onstage the grind blast of “I Live For This Shit” erupted and was followed by “Mass Pussy Obliteration” giving Paul Speckmann (Master) a chance to air his vocal grunts and swing the best beard in metal around. After a couple of attempts to encourage the girls to flash a pair and failing (he referred to it as titville) the moshing riffs of started on “Nothing In Common With Us” were a great balance between brutality and groove. The number of riffs plied by Waco Jesus in just one song was staggering as the set quickly came to an end with “Respect The Fist…Bitch” as a huge pair of drum sticks appeared much to the crowds amusement.
www.wacojesus.com
www.myspace.com/wacojesus
It would have been nice to have seen a few more people checking out this all dayer as it offered plenty for the extreme metaller to get into and I for one enjoyed the whole day in such a unique venue.
Martin Harris
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